Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in front of the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters on Sunday to express their outrage over the fatal police shooting of an unarmed 25-year-old black man who family members have described as mentally challenged.

Demonstrators — carrying signs, shouting slogans and cursing police — demanded that criminal charges be filed against the two unnamed officers who fatally shot Ezell Ford on Aug. 11 at 65th Street, just west of Broadway. Relatives of Ford, as well as the families of other people killed in violent encounters with law enforcement marched to Union Station, then doubled back. The protest remained peaceful.

“These people are frustrated,” said community activist Kelly Kunta of Los Angeles.

In addition to the shooting itself, Kunta said the community was upset by the way the LAPD has handled the matter since.

“I feel that the police need to come out and speak to these people,” he said.

But the outrage was not limited to the killing of Ford, or to Los Angeles, protesters said.

The anger is representative of a sense of injustice felt throughout the nation, most recently unfolding in Ferguson, Mo., where protesters have been clashing with police following the fatal shooting of another unarmed, young black man, 18-year-old Michael Brown.

“There’s an explosion of outrage,” said demonstrator Keith James of Los Angeles.

“It’s the criminalization of black and Latino people,” he said. “It’s like black life doesn’t mean anything to this system.

Protest is the public’s primary tool to effect change, James said.

“People should remain in the streets. People should step up the resistance, here, and throughout the United States,” James said.

“We want the district attorney to file charges against the cops that murdered Ezell Ford.”

LAPD officers watched over the protest and escorted the marchers, blocking vehicle traffic as the demonstrators traveled along downtown Los Angeles streets.

LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith said police wanted the demonstrators to be able to get their message out, “But we don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

In addition to Ford and Brown, marchers also demanded justice in the names of other people killed by law enforcement.

The death of 37-year-old Omar Abrego, who died after what police have described as a “physical altercation with him on Aug. 2 in the 6900 block South Main Street, was also at the forefront of many demonstrators minds.

Abrego, who was initially stopped on suspicion of driving under the influence, died at a hospital the following morning, officials said. Police said an officer suffered a broken hand while struggling with Abrego, and another officer suffered a knee injury.

Angie Cano held photos of her son, 47-year-old David Martinez, who was shot by LAPD officers in his hometown of Echo Park on March 19, 2013. He died about two months later from his injuries, the mother said.

Martinez was shot after he called 9-1-1 to report hearing gunshots while on his way to buy some tacos with his family, Cano said. When officers arrived, they encountered Martinez and ordered him to drop what they believed to be a handgun, LAPD officials said in a written statement.

According to the police statement, officers opened fire on Martinez because they thought he was pointing a pistol at them. No weapon was recovered from the scene.

Cano said it was a cellphone that her son was holding when he was shot. “He had his hands up in the air and they shot him.”

“He just went to buy tacos. He’s the one who called the police, and he’s the one who got shot,” she said.

Cano said the LAPD has not admitted any mistake or wrongdoing in the incident.

And every time she learns of another officer-involved shooting, Cano said she thinks of her son.

“All the police shootings bring me back to it, because it just doesn’t stop. They’re killing people for no reason,” Cano said.

Jean Thaxton told the crowd the story of her son, Michael Nida, 31, of South Gate, who was shot to death by Downey police in October of 2011. Nida’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit, and the city eventually settled with the family for $4.5 million.

Nida was shot with an MP5 submachine gun as he fled from police, who said he matched the description of a robbery suspect, according to officials and the his family. Nida was shot twice in the back and once in the arm, according to family attorney Dale Galipo.

“He ran from them because a cop threatened to blow his head off. And then they did,” Thaxton said. “They shot him in the back with a submachine gun.”

She said Sunday’s demonstration was a step in the right direction.

“We need more of this. Every time we have a cop killing, we need to support every family. It doesn’t matter what race they are.”

Demonstrators announced plans for another march today, beginning at the scene where Ford was shot on 65th Street just west of Broadway, then heading to 69th Street and Main Street, where Abrego was injured in a confrontation with police before he died. The march is then expected to head to the LAPD’s Newton Station, which had officers involved in both incidents.

Brian Day has covered crime and breaking news for the Southern California News Group since 2007. He’s a graduate of California State University, Fullerton and Cerritos College in Norwalk. He loves dogs and has a pet German shepherd, which in turn, has a pet cat. Brian is a local news junkie, a licensed drone pilot and a part-time science geek with an unfortunate predilection for puns.